Here is a complete wrap-up of Day One of the 2013 First Year Player Draft which includes the first two rounds and the competitive balance rounds.

FIRST ROUND

1. Astros select: Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford University

Well then… The dominant young Mark Appel ends up going first. Was Johnathan Gray’s positive test for Adderall a factor in him slipping from #1? Perhaps, but Appel is not the #1 pick by luck. He is clearly a top-tier talent and assuming there are no signability issues, he may make the MLB team in a hurry.

2. Cubs select: Kris Bryant, 3B, University of San Diego

Gray gets passed over again… Bryant has the best raw power in this entire draft and is a really great kid. This is a great pick no matter how you slice it. I love MLB Network’s comparison to Troy Glaus.

3. Rockies select: Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma

So the Rockies, who were going offensive this entire time, decide to take a chance on Gray. I can’t blame them because Gray was projected to be the #1 pick and was ranked as the #1 prospect from Baseball America going into this draft. You always draft BPA and the overall package that Gray provides is undeniable.

4.Twinsselect: Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pius High School

This is absolutely no surprise. His secondary pitches, namely his slider, make him one of the top arms in the draft.

5. Indiansselect: Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville High School

Frazier was one of the top outfielders in the draft if not THE top outfielder. Many were hoping by some miracle that he would drop to the Mets, but he would never have gotten past the #10 pick. Comparisons to Mike Trout have been running wild about this kid. 5-tool talent. No matter what Bud Selig says, he plays Center Field…not 3B.

6. Marlinsselect: Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina

I had the Marlins taking Shipley in this spot… That is interesting. Shipley will likely still go in the top ten – but I see a flip between the Marlins and Rockies who went ahead and drafted against the knowledge we had from their camps. The Mets wanted Colin Moran but did not see a scenario where he dropped to their #11 spot.

7. Red Soxselect: Trey Ball, LHP, New Castle High School

The left-handed pitcher and outfielder, who has very impressive offensive talent, has been scouted and appreciated more as a pitcher as time has gone on. You could basically go either way here. He will likely stay as a pitcher, though. I guess the Red Sox liked him more than Shipley here.

8. Royalsselect: Hunter Dozier, SS, Stephen F. Austin High School

WHAT?! … Saving money for later, huh? This is definitively the reach of the draft…wow.

9. Piratesselect: Austin Meadows, OF, Grayson High School

Damn the Pirates. That’s my analysis. I mocked them to take Reese McGuire along with the rest of the world, but they’ll probably look to take him with the 14th pick if he sticks.

Great high school arm. MLB Network’s comparison to A.J. Burnett makes sense… but now onto the Mets…

11. Metsselect: Dominic Smith, 1B/OF, Serra High School (California)

Simply put, he could be the best all-around hitter in the entire draft. Has a chance to be a plus hitter, with plus power and plus defense at first base. MLB comparison: Todd Helton. Read more right here:

12. Marinersselect: D.J. Peterson, 3B, University of New Mexico

Aw…that’s a nice emotional moment in the Peterson household. Well, a lot of draft gurus had this guy mocked to the New York Mets, with comparisons to Jedd Gyorko. I like Dom Smith over him, but he’s a natural hitter.

13. Padresselect: Hunter Renfroe, OF, Mississippi State

This guy is going to become a very impressive hitter. Plain and simple. He was one of my favorite targets for this draft and I am a little miffed that the Mets passed on him. Very impressive raw power. Padres got a great pick here.

14. Piratesselect: Reese McGuire, C, Kentwood High School

Called it. McGuire is the top catching prospect in this draft and is very athletic. I love his swing. I wasn’t too hot on the Mets grabbing him, but he is an overall strong pick. He has a VERY HIGH ceiling as a left-handed hitting catcher. The Pirates got an incredible haul with McGuire and Meadows.

15. Diamondbacksselect: Braden Shipley, RHP, University of Nevada

Not only did they get a kid generally in their area, but man, this could work out being the steal of the draft. I honestly thought that he was going in the top 10 to the Marlins so the Diamondbacks picked themselves a future stud in this one. Touches 98 with the fastball and good movement.

16. Philliesselect: JP Crawford, SS, Lakewood High School

Top shortstop in this draft class. ‘Nuff said, because it’s the Phillies.

17. White Soxselect: Tim Anderson, SS, East Central College

A multi-sport talent that likely becomes a top positional prospect for the CWS, who have a low rated system. I think his pop profiles out to be average for shortstop, but he’s got a contact swing and good athleticism should contribute to good defense.

18. Dodgersselect: Chris Andersen, RHP, Jacksonville University

Well, this is a guy that I looked into for the Mets, but decided that we would have reached for him at the #11 pick. That being said, he’s a big dude who throws four pitches. The fastball is solid, and the curve/slider/change are all passable. He could turn into a very nice value pick in the middle of the 1st round for the Dodgers, who play in a pitcher’s park to begin with.

19. Cardinalsselect: Marcos Gonzales, LHP, Gonzaga

I rated Gonzales a little later down in the draft that he was picked here but the Cardinals have a great eye for talented. Solid left-handed pitching talent here. I thought he would be a second-rounder, so they’re giving up potential ceiling for the maturity of a college player.

20. Tigersselect: Jonathan Crawford, RHP, Florida

No surprise here. Coming off an up-and-down year, he is fairly talented for a pitcher with his frame. He’s a polished college pitcher so I guess the Tigers are giving up some upside with this one.

21. Raysselect: Nick Ciuffo, Lexington High School

Third best catcher in the draft, behind McGuire and Denney. I really like this kid though. I think he has real potential. Vague, I know, but he’s got such a sweet swing and left-handed hitting to boot.

22. Oriolesselect: Hunter Harvey, Bandys High School

Love this pick. Not only does he have a really cool name, but I think I had him just behind Shipley and Stanek. Really nice arsenal of pitches and should be the #1 prospect in the organization after Dylan Bundy makes his MLB debut, IMO. Very raw — but can be turned into an ace.

23. Rangersselect: Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Oral Roberts High School

He likely won’t turn into an ace but they could have drafted a solid pitcher here. The Rangers need homegrown starting pitching considering their home ballpark, so nice pick. But no Ryne Stanek…?

This is…a bit of a reach. I will assume the Giants see something in him that they feel they can develop. Shortstops are always at a premium, though.

26. Yankeesselect: Eric Jagielo, 3B, Notre Dame

I don’t think he’ll stick at 3B. If he makes it to the Yankees, he’ll have many good days with the short bandbox dimensions of Yankee Stadium. Good power…not great.

27. Redsselect: Phillip Ervin, OF, Samford

Yeah, this was Teddy Klein’s guy. He can end up rating out as a five-tool player. This is a great value pick for the Reds.

28. Cardinalsselect: Rob Kaminsky, LHP, St. Joseph Regional High School

This is basically one of those hometown guys… I had him mocked to the Yankees later on in the draft and I’m really surprised to see the Cardinals take him. That being said, what you see is what you get. A left-handed equivalent of Dillon Gee, maybe, with better control? He has time to prove himself better.

29. Raysselect: Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas

This really isn’t fair. The Rays get Matt Moore, David Price, Ryne Stanek… Man, their home-grown pitching is just outlandish. This is a guy that I would’ve been happy if the METS took at No. 11. Chew on that.
30. Rangersselect: Travis Demeritte, SS, Barrel High School

Talented infielder – he played shortstop and calls himself a third base man. He’s quite an athlete, working as a pitcher and playing football as well. I’m fairly certain he’ll stick at shortstop and could project out to be a solid player in the future.

31. Bravesselect: Jason Hursh, RHP, Oklahoma State

As MLB Network points out, he has already undergone Tommy John surgery…and yet reached triple digits. That’s ridiculous. The fastball is incredible, but he needs secondary pitches to really become a starter. I think he’ll turn into a strong bullpen arm.

32. Yankeesselect: Aaron Judge, OF, Fresno State

Damn it. Even if Judge fails, the Yankees will just buy an outfielder in his place. I think he has 30 home run power…which is why I’m so upset the damn Yankees got him.

33. Yankeesselect: Ian Clarkin, James Madison High School

Man, I just continue to hate the Yankees. Great upside pick here — and he’s a left-handed tosser to boot. I can’t imagine why he lasted till the last pick of the first round, but of course the Yanks would get him… Best High School curveball. Oh… he does hate the Yankees, though. Haha.

The Amazins’ come away with first baseman Dominic Smith and righthander Andrew Church after Day One of the First Year Player Draft. We’ll be back for Day Two of the MLB Draft tomorrow at 12:00 PM. The Mets will have two picks in the third round.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/06/2013-mlb-draft-complete-day-one-wrap-up.html/feed/0Braves Officially Ink Troy Glaus To 1 Year Dealhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/01/braves-officially-ink-troy-glaus-to-1-year-deal.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/01/braves-officially-ink-troy-glaus-to-1-year-deal.html/#commentsThu, 07 Jan 2010 05:22:07 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=18601According to Yahoo! Sports Troy Glaus and the Atlanta Braves have both agreed to a $1.75 million, one year contract Tuesday that will allow Glaus to earn an additional $2.25 million in roster bonuses and performance.

After missing most of the 2009 season with the St. Louis Cardinals following right shoulder surgery, Glaus says that he is now ready to return to the field and move from third base to first for Atlanta.

“I have no concerns about being able to go out there and play, I’ve been able to get myself this winter in the quality of shape I wasn’t able to the winter before. I foresee continuing on where I left off.”

Glaus is a four-time All-Star and the 2002 World Series MVP with the Anaheim Angels. The soon to be 34-year-old Glaus has played third base for most of his career. He said he placed a higher priority on signing with a competitive team than finding one that would keep him at third base.

“I think this affords me an opportunity to play on a team I think is very, very close to going back to the playoffs.” “I’ve been a fan of the organization for a long, long time.”

Glaus hit 27 homers with 99 RBIs for St. Louis in 2008 and had 30 or more homers in five of seven seasons from 2000 to 2006 with the Angels, Arizona and Toronto. He currently has 304 career homers.

The Braves are very eager to see Glaus provide at the plate in which he will add much needed power behind third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann. Last year the Atlanta Braves ranked 22nd in the major leagues with 149 homeruns.

Glaus has played at least 149 games in a season seven times in his career and in those seven seasons he averaged 36 homers, 100 RBIs and 94 runs.

With the Braves, Glaus is expected to replace first baseman Adam La Roche who became a free agent this off-season.

The Braves might view Glaus as a short term answer at first base while another talked about prospect, Freddie Freeman, progresses through the minor leagues.

The Atlanta Braves are really turning into a team that you can count on seeing in the post season. With the signing of Melky Cabrera earlier in the off-season, the Braves outfield is definitely up there.

General manager Frank Wren said that he doesn’t expect any more major moves this off season, which is good for the Mets because it looks like the Braves are snagging semi key free agents. I wouldn’t say that Troy Glaus is the answer to the Braves woes, but it could shape them as a powerful defensive and offensive team for the 2010 season.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/01/braves-officially-ink-troy-glaus-to-1-year-deal.html/feed/0A Peek Into The Mets Offseason Planhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/11/a-peak-into-the-mets-offseason-plan.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/11/a-peak-into-the-mets-offseason-plan.html/#commentsSun, 08 Nov 2009 15:48:07 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=15611On Friday, veteran sports writer Marty Noble wrote a great column which was featured on mets.com. Noble reveals some of the buzz surrounding the Mets front office, including some potential strategies and even some of the specific players that they may be targeting this offseason.

The Mets have not said publicly which players most interest them, but people within the organization who are familiar with the club’s thinking have mentioned Holliday, Bay, Lackey, Marquis, Wolf, Cameron, Hudson, Glaus and two catchers who are eligible to file — Bengie Molina and Rod Barajas.

Most of those players have already been bandied about the Mets blogosphere including here at MMO, but this is the first time that I’ve read something other than a bloggers speculation on first baseman Troy Glaus and Mike Cameron.

I believe that signing either of those players would accomplish very little and would tell me that the Omar Minaya has learned little from the mistakes of the last three years. Both of them have to be considered major injury risks at this point in their careers. Additionally, if Glaus is even in the mix at first base, I’d much rather have Carlos Delgado back with an incentive laden deal.

The following is a list of a few more detailed moves that a team source has revealed to Noble.

The Mets’ needs are so many that they cannot establish one course of action. Signing one or two of the primary free agents would make a difference. But if that can’t be accomplished, what then? Some possibilities the Mets have discussed follow:

• Pursue Cameron to play left field, thereby improving the outfield defense and adding some power. That would reduce Angel Pagan to a reserve role, which is what the club prefers. Chances are the Mets would want Cameron for one season, affording more time for Fernando Martinez to develop.

• Include Luis Castillo in a trade package and hope to fill a need with what they receive in return and then sign Hudson to play second base. The Mets believe that Castillo’s renaissance season and, in particular, his on-base average, .387, have made him attractive to other clubs. Hudson, who lost his second-base job with the Dodgers, is not likely to be pursued by too many clubs.

• Sign Glaus, a right-handed power hitter, to a conditional contract and have him available to share first base with Murphy and provide power off the bench. That would all but eliminate Delgado from the Mets’ thoughts. But for now, the club is considering offering Delgado a conditional contract.

• Sign Wolf and package a starter on the Mets’ roster — not Johan Santana, of course — to acquire a No. 2 starter or a slugging outfielder.

It gets a little bit more interesting here, especially where he writes about trading a current Mets starter to acquire a number 2 starter. Does this imply a potential trade of Mike Pelfrey? Obviously, John Maine and Jon Niese have to first prove that they are healthy before having any significant trade value, and Oliver Perez may be the only pitcher in the game whose addition would actually be a subtraction or have a negative impact on a team. The only viable Mets starter who has any value, although it isn’t much, is Mike Pelfrey, whose promise and potential outweighs his actual performance in the majors last season.

With regard to trading Luis Castillo, I’m not so sure that ditching him and replacing him with Orlando Hudson is such a great idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love the O-Dog, but Castillo had a better average and on-base percentage, and if you’re making the move to add more power, Hudson only hit nine homers last season and just two in the second half. I’m not as down on Castillo as I was a year ago.

It’s so hard to try and figure out a solid game plan for this team right now. They have too many areas of concern, questions about cash flow still exist, and it seems that they would need to make at least a half dozen impact moves to put them back on track. I don’t see an easy way out of this mess, and what worries me most is that the architect of this mess is the one being counted on to fix it. I thought that one of our goals was to get younger, but if we’re looking at players such as Hudson, Glaus and Cameron to fill vital roles on the team, I’m not sure that Omar Minaya got that memo.

Anyway, what are some of your thoughts regarding this glimpse into the Mets thinking as we dive into the hot stove season?